Gloucester to Bristol alterations and cancellations.

[whole diary]

[martyjon]

07:05 Gloucester to Swindon due 09:02

07:05 Gloucester to Swindon due 09:02 will be reinstated.

It will be started from Bristol Temple Meads.

It will no longer call at Gloucester, Cam & Dursley, Yate, Bristol Parkway and Filton Abbey Wood.

This is due to this train being late from the depot.


This must be one of the most heavily used services of the day from Yate.

Where is the depot, is it the stabling sidings adjacent to Gloucester station ?

Was the train late from the depot DUE TO THE DRIVERS ALARM FAILING TO GO OFF THIS MORNING or just plainly THE DRIVER OVERSLEPT.

[manicmadman]

Normally its an "empty coaching stock" service from St. Phillips Marsh, headcode 5G99 that then forms the Swindon via Bristol service.

Shows on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) as "Problem at Depot" today: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C59800/2018/02/14/advanced

[grahame]

Normally its an "empty coaching stock" service from St. Phillips Marsh, headcode 5G99 that then forms the Swindon via Bristol service.

Shows on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) as "Problem at Depot" today: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C59800/2018/02/14/advanced

Welcome to the forum - your first post - manicmadman.   This is an interesting train - also the only regional train in either direction to run through the site of where a Corsham station would be.  And the only Oldfield Park to Swindon service that doesn't involve a change!

[froome]

Normally its an "empty coaching stock" service from St. Phillips Marsh, headcode 5G99 that then forms the Swindon via Bristol service.

Shows on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) as "Problem at Depot" today: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C59800/2018/02/14/advanced

Welcome to the forum - your first post - manicmadman.   This is an interesting train - also the only regional train in either direction to run through the site of where a Corsham station would be.  And the only Oldfield Park to Swindon service that doesn't involve a change!

Indeed. And has always made me wonder why it is argued that having stopper services from Bristol to Swindon with new stations at Saltford and Corsham can't be achieved without disrupting the high speed services.

[ellendune]

Indeed. And has always made me wonder why it is argued that having stopper services from Bristol to Swindon with new stations at Saltford and Corsham can't be achieved without disrupting the high speed services.

A stopping service has a slower average speed and there are no places to overtake between Swindon and Bristol.  So if the fast services are too close together, and the slow train leaves immediately after a fast train the next fast train will catch it up before it gets to the other end. 

[martyjon]

... there are no places to overtake between Swindon and Bristol. 

There is .... Bathampton Loop.

[ellendune]

Is that cleared for passenger trains?

[grahame]

... there are no places to overtake between Swindon and Bristol. 

There is .... Bathampton Loop.

1. Does that work in both directions?
2. Not ideal as  regular thing to hold up a local train for an express to pass away from a station.
3. Interesting business case with local service to Swindon with just the extra stop at Corsham where there are no other local trains that could otherwise serve.

With a 30 minute IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) calling Bath and Chippenham to Swindon, I suspect that a Turbo calling also at Keynsham, Saltford, Oldfield Park, and Corsham too could run between.   Current 08:00 and 08:30 off BRI get to Swindon at 08:40 and 09:10, with the local at 08:12 getting there at 09:02.  So it has 20 minutes 'slack'.  Retimed with two extra stops, but faster pathing (Turbo, top speed 90 v Sprinter, top speed 75) and extras stops possibly balance out.  IET speeds up on the electric section; not sure how much difference from Bristol to Thingley.  I suspect it works, though you'll be looking at the flat junction at Royal Wootton Bassett becoming a pinch point with extra conflicting services towards Parkway.

[brooklea]

Is that cleared for passenger trains?

Yes

[brooklea]

... there are no places to overtake between Swindon and Bristol. 

There is .... Bathampton Loop.

1. Does that work in both directions?

No, it can only be used in the Up direction i.e. Bristol to Swindon.

[eightf48544]

Interesting that the by 1900 hundred many rail companies had worked out that any stations on new doubletrack l main ines should be on loops with through lines in the middle. OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) to Anyho being the classic with 11 sets of loops mostly at stations. 

Suggests any new stations between Bath and Swindon should built with platform loops.

[grahame]

Suggests any new stations between Bath and Swindon should built with platform loops.

Suggest one loop would be adequate, and if that were at Chippenham it could use "Platform 0" there, and the local train could be paused at the 2nd largest intermediate station for the express to come by and swap passengers! 

[chuffed]

Out from TM^‡(resolve) to Cam and Dursley at 1041 bang on time. Hired in SWT^▸ (South West Trains) liveried 158 which I normally see on the TM -Salisbury- Waterloo route. Returned at 1600 on a grey/green refurbished 158 which was full from Abbey Wood and seemed to be hundreds waiting for it on Plat 9 at TM !!

[TonyK]

Normally its an "empty coaching stock" service from St. Phillips Marsh, headcode 5G99 that then forms the Swindon via Bristol service.

Shows on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) as "Problem at Depot" today: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C59800/2018/02/14/advanced

Welcome indeed, manicmadman - interesting forum name.

[manicmadman]

Well the service performance is getting any better...

Thursday 22nd Feb - 5G99 was 47 minutes late off St Philips Marsh, resulting in the 2A99 0705 Gloucester to Swindon service running 48 minutes late at 0754. 

Today (28th Feb) - 5G99 was 52 minutes late of SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)), resulting in 2A99 departing at 0754, running fast to Bristol Parkway (missing Cam & Dursley and Yate), then fast again to Temple Meads.  The 2O70 service from Gloucester to Weymouth departed on time at 0742, but was then held at Temple Meads for 16 minutes until 2A99 arrived and then left in front of it, fast to Swindon.

Both services reporting as train late from depot